Democratic Party's Response on Proposal for Salary Cuts for Ministers and Parliamentarians Amid Middle East Crisis
A proposal to cut the salaries of cabinet members and parliamentarians in response to the impact of the Middle East conflict is being examined by President Prabowo Subianto. The Democratic Party (PD) believes that in the midst of the Middle East conflict, various contingency measures must be prepared.
“In certain situations, we must be prepared with various fiscal tightening options, including cuts to employee spending allocations, not excluding ministerial salaries and parliamentary members,” said PD Secretary-General Herman Khaeron to journalists on Monday, 16 March 2026.
The Democratic Party provided its perspective regarding budgetary constraints to ensure the public maintains purchasing power. The Democratic Party has entirely deferred the final decision to President Prabowo Subianto.
“Budget tightening for the purpose of saving the state budget must be oriented towards maintaining public purchasing power and sustaining an ideal rate of economic growth. Therefore, we defer to the President to develop the best scenario in anticipating the impact of the Middle East conflict,” he stated.
Prabowo previously stated that several countries had taken adaptive measures in responding to the conflict situation in West Asia or the Middle East. Prabowo then cited Pakistan as an example, which also cut the salaries of cabinet members and parliamentarians.
This was conveyed by Prabowo whilst chairing a Full Cabinet Session (SKP) at the State Palace in Jakarta on Friday, 13 March. Prabowo emphasised that the government cannot guarantee security without taking proactive measures.
“We cannot assume that whatever happens we are safe, yes we are grateful we are safe, but we have made no effort to reduce our fuel consumption. Many countries have already taken measures,” he said.
“Many countries have already taken measures. Perhaps the Cabinet Secretariat has slides to inform you of how many measures. Here is Pakistan’s approach. This is merely for comparison,” said Prabowo whilst presenting a graphic presentation on the measures taken by the Pakistani government in its crisis situation.